Processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A processing apparatus includes: a processing section that is provided at the processing position Pn and that performs the processing on the work while the work is being halted; an entering-side buffer mechanism that is provided on an upstream side of the processing section in the predetermined direction and that can accumulate the work carried from upstream; an exit-side buffer mechanism that is provided on a downstream side of the processing section in the predetermined direction and that can accumulate the work having been processed and to be carried downstream; and a sending section that is provided between the entering-side buffer mechanism and the processing section and that sends out the work accumulated by the entering-side buffer mechanism to the processing section.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a processing apparatus forintermittently halting and processing, at a predetermined processingposition, a belt-like work that is continuously carried in apredetermined direction along which a plurality of processing positionsare lined up.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventional production lines for disposable diapers, for example,include a plurality of processing positions aligned front-to-rear alongthe horizontal direction. Semi-finished diapers are carried continuouslyin the state of a continuously-formed belt-like work in theabove-mentioned front/rear direction, and during this course, variousprocesses are applied thereto at the respective processing positions andthe work is finally cut into units of products, thereby completingfinished products.

In cases where press-working is to be applied at one of theabove-mentioned processing positions, carrying of the belt-like workwill be intermittently halted with every die-pressing motion using pressdies. This halt, however, affects the carrying at processing positionsimmediately upstream and downstream of the press-working position. Thatis, it is inevitable that the belt-like work will temporarily be haltedalso at the immediately adjacent processing positions.

In this regard, a processing apparatus 90 disclosed in Japanese PatentNo. 3452577 allows to intermittently halt the carrying of the belt-likework 1 only at the processing apparatus 90, without stopping thecarrying thereof at positions upstream and downstream of the processingapparatus 90.

Describing this in detail, as shown in FIG. 1, the processing apparatus90 has a pair of rolls 91 a, 91 b lined up front-to-rear along thehorizontal direction. The belt-like work 1 is wound around the pair ofrolls 91 a, 91 b; thus, loops 1La, 1Lb consisting of the belt-like work1 are formed thereon in the front/rear direction, and rotation of therolls 91 a, 91 b causes the belt-like work 1 to be carried forward at apredetermined carry speed Vt. Further, the pair of rolls 91 a, 91 b isconnected into a single unit by a separator 93 and is alsoreciprocatably guided in the front/rear direction.

In this example, by translationally moving the pair of rolls 91 a, 91 bhorizontally at a predetermined moving speed Vm in the rearwarddirection which is opposite from the carrying direction of the belt-likework 1 (refer to the chain double-dashed lines in FIG. 1) during thecarrying state of the belt-like work 1, the carry speed Vt and themoving speed Vm cancel out one another and thus the absolute speed ofthe belt-like work 1 in the front/rear direction becomes zero at aposition R1 between the pair of rolls 91 a, 91 b.

To make use of the above-described cancel-out relationship, theprocessing apparatus 90 therefore arranges a processing section 95 inthe position R1 between the pair of rolls 91 a, 91 b and appliesprocessing using this processing section 95 while moving the pair ofrolls 91 a, 91 b rearwardly at the above-mentioned moving speed Vm. Inthis way, the intermittently-halted state necessary for applying suchprocessing is realized at the processing apparatus 90, while maintainingthe normal continuous-carrying state at the processing positionsupstream and downstream of the processing apparatus 90.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Problem to be Solved by the Invention

The processing apparatus 90 of Japanese Patent No. 3452577, however,merely realizes a pseudo-halted state of the belt-like work 1 by thecanceling between the carry speed Vt and the moving speed Vm, withoutactually halting the carrying of the belt-like work 1. Therefore, thereis a possibility that the belt-like work 1 may slightly shift withrespect to the processing section 95 owing to synchronization failurebetween the carry speed Vt and the moving speed Vm. In this case, theposition of the processing applied on the belt-like work 1 by theprocessing section 95 may deviate from the target position.

The present invention has been made in view of such a conventionalproblem as that described above, and an object thereof is to provide aprocessing apparatus that processes a work while intermittently haltingthe same without affecting the carrying of the work at upstream anddownstream processing positions, and that has superior processingpositional accuracy for processing the work.

Means for Solving the Problem

A main aspect of the invention for achieving the above-mentioned objectis a processing apparatus for intermittently halting and processing, ata processing position, a belt-like work that is continuously carriedalong a predetermined direction, the processing apparatus including:

a processing section that is provided at the processing position andthat performs the processing on the work while the work is being halted;

an entering-side buffer mechanism that is provided upstream in thepredetermined direction from the processing section and that canaccumulate the work carried from upstream;

an exit-side buffer mechanism that is provided downstream in thepredetermined direction from the processing section and that canaccumulate the work having been processed and to be carried downstream;and

a sending section that is provided between the entering-side buffermechanism and the processing section and that sends out the workaccumulated by the entering-side buffer mechanism to the processingsection;

-   -   the sending section,        -   by restricting the work, halting the work at the processing            position, and        -   performing simultaneously decrease of an accumulation amount            of work accumulated by the exit-side buffer mechanism and            increase of an accumulation amount of work accumulated by            the entering-side buffer mechanism in such a manner as the            decrease in the accumulation amount of the exit-side buffer            mechanism and the increase in the accumulation amount of the            entering-side buffer mechanism equal to one another;    -   the sending section,        -   by canceling the restriction on the work, releasing the halt            of the work, and        -   performing simultaneously increase of the accumulation            amount of the exit-side buffer mechanism and decrease of the            accumulation amount of the entering-side buffer mechanism in            such a manner as the increase in the accumulation amount of            the exit-side buffer mechanism and the decrease in the            accumulation amount of the entering-side buffer mechanism            equal to one another.

Other features of the invention will be made clear by the description ofthe present specification and accompanying drawings.

EFFECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention can provide a processing apparatus that processesa work while intermittently halting the same without affecting thecarrying of the work at upstream and downstream processing positions,and that has superior processing positional accuracy for processing thework.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of a conventional processingapparatus 90.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a continuous production line 5 towhich a processing apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment isapplied.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the processing apparatus 10 according to thefirst embodiment.

FIGS. 4A to 4C are explanatory diagrams describing an oscillating motionof a seesaw member 34 during the intermittent halt of a belt-like work1.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are explanatory diagrams describing an oscillating motionof the seesaw member 34 when the intermittent halt of the belt-like work1 is released.

FIG. 6 is a chart indicating a rotation speed V of a drive roll 31 b.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a processing apparatus 10 a according to asecond embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a side view of another embodiment of a processing apparatus10.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   1: belt-like work (work);-   1 a: portion;-   1 b: portion;-   5: continuous production line;-   10: processing apparatus;-   10 a: processing apparatus;-   20: press device (processing section);-   21 a: male die;-   21 b: female die;-   30: intermittent carry device;-   31: group of pass-line rolls;-   31 a: pass-line roll;-   31 b: drive roll (sending section);-   31 c: pressing roll;-   31 d: brake-equipped non-drive roll (sending section);-   32: group of pass-line rolls;-   32 a: pass-line roll;-   32 b: pass-line roll;-   34: seesaw member;-   34 a: entering-side roll (entering-side buffer mechanism);-   34 b: exit-side roll (exit-side buffer mechanism);-   34 c: oscillation central shaft;-   36: air cylinder (oscillation drive device);-   36 a: piston;-   41: pressing-motion monitoring sensor;-   42: processing-target-section monitoring sensor;-   43: oscillating-motion monitoring sensor;-   43 a: sensor at upper lower-limit position;-   43 b: sensor at lower lower-limit position;-   90: processing apparatus;-   91 a: roll;-   91 b: roll;-   93: separator;-   95: processing section;-   1La: loop;-   1Lb: loop;-   Pn−1: processing position;-   Pn: processing position;-   Pn+1: processing position;-   PL: pass line;-   V: carry speed;-   Vin: entering-side carry speed;-   Vout: exit-side carry speed;-   A1: normal range;-   A2: deceleration range;-   A3: intermittent halt range;-   A4: acceleration range;-   A5: deceleration range;-   Vt: carry speed;-   Vm: moving speed;-   R1: position

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

At least the following matters will be made clear by the description ofthe present specification and the accompanying drawings.

A processing apparatus for intermittently halting and processing, at aprocessing position, a belt-like work that is continuously carried alonga predetermined direction, includes:

a processing section that is provided at the processing position andthat performs the processing on the work while the work is being halted;

an entering-side buffer mechanism that is provided upstream in thepredetermined direction from the processing section and that canaccumulate the work carried from upstream;

an exit-side buffer mechanism that is provided downstream in thepredetermined direction from the processing section and that canaccumulate the work having been processed and to be carried downstream;and

a sending section that is provided between the entering-side buffermechanism and the processing section and that sends out the workaccumulated by the entering-side buffer mechanism to the processingsection;

-   -   the sending section,        -   by restricting the work, halting the work at the processing            position, and        -   performing simultaneously decrease of an accumulation amount            of work accumulated by the exit-side buffer mechanism and            increase of an accumulation amount of work accumulated by            the entering-side buffer mechanism in such a manner as the            decrease in the accumulation amount of the exit-side buffer            mechanism and the increase in the accumulation amount of the            entering-side buffer mechanism equal to one another;    -   the sending section,        -   by canceling the restriction on the work, releasing the halt            of the work, and        -   performing simultaneously increase of the accumulation            amount of the exit-side buffer mechanism and decrease of the            accumulation amount of the entering-side buffer mechanism in            such a manner as the increase in the accumulation amount of            the exit-side buffer mechanism and the decrease in the            accumulation amount of the entering-side buffer mechanism            equal to one another.

With such a processing apparatus, the accumulation amount of theentering-side buffer mechanism and the exit-side buffer mechanism isadjusted as described above. Thus, the processing apparatus canintermittently halt the work while buffering the influence of thehalting of the work at the processing apparatus through adjustment ofthe accumulation amount without causing the influence to spill over tothe processing positions located upstream and downstream of theprocessing apparatus—i.e., without affecting the carrying at processingpositions upstream and downstream of the processing apparatuswhatsoever.

Further, processing is performed in a state where the carrying of thework is halted owing to the sending section restricting the work.Therefore, the work is at a complete stop and will not move, and thus,processing can be applied with high accuracy at a target position on thework to be processed.

Furthermore, while the work is being halted, the decrease in theaccumulation amount of the exit-side buffer mechanism and the increasein the accumulation amount of the entering-side buffer mechanism arekept equal to one another. Therefore, the tension of the work can bemaintained constant even during the halt. On the other hand, theincrease in the accumulation amount of the exit-side buffer mechanismand the decrease in the accumulation amount of the entering-side buffermechanism are also kept equal to one another even when the halt of thework is released. Therefore, the tension of the work can be maintainedconstant even during the release.

In the above processing apparatus, it is preferable that: the sendingsection is a roll; and the roll is a drive roll that carries the work tothe processing section by being driven to rotate while winding the workfrom the entering-side buffer mechanism around an outer circumferentialsurface of the roll.

With such a processing apparatus, the work is wound around the roll andis carried by the driving rotation of the roll. Therefore, restrictingthe rotation of the roll will reliably halt the work, and thus, the workcan reliably be brought to a carry-halt state.

In the above processing apparatus, it is preferable that: the sendingsection includes a roll that is in contact with the work and a pressingroll that is pressed against an outer circumferential surface of theabove-mentioned roll; and the work is carried sandwiched between theroll and the pressing roll.

With such a processing apparatus, the responsiveness for halting thecarrying of the work with the roll can be improved.

In the above processing apparatus, it is preferable that: theentering-side buffer mechanism accumulates the work carried fromupstream by forming a loop consisting of the work in an intersectingdirection that intersects with the predetermined direction; and theexit-side buffer mechanism accumulates the work having been processedand to be carried downstream by forming, in the intersecting direction,a loop consisting of the work having been processed.

With such a processing apparatus, the direction in which the loops ofthe entering-side buffer mechanism and the exit-side buffer mechanismare formed is in the intersecting direction, which intersects with thepredetermined direction. Thus, the processing apparatus can be kept frombecoming large in size in the predetermined direction along with theformation of the loops. In other words, the entire length of theprocessing apparatus can be kept short with respect to the predetermineddirection which is the direction in which the work is carried.

In the above processing apparatus, it is preferable that theintersecting direction is a direction orthogonal to the predetermineddirection.

With such a processing apparatus, the entire length of the processingapparatus can be minimized with respect to the predetermined direction.

In the above processing apparatus, it is preferable that: theentering-side buffer mechanism includes an entering-side roll that isreciprocatably guided in the intersecting direction, and the loop isformed by winding the work around the entering-side roll; the exit-sidebuffer mechanism includes an exit-side roll that is reciprocatablyguided in the intersecting direction, and the loop is formed by windingthe work having been processed around the exit-side roll; and theentering-side roll and the exit-side roll move in the intersectingdirection interlocked with one another, and move in opposite directionsfrom one another at the same speed when moving in the intersectingdirection.

With such a processing apparatus, the entering-side roll and theexit-side roll carry out opposite motions with respect to one another inthe intersecting direction. Thus, the total amount of the length of thework accumulated by the entering-side roll and the length of the workaccumulated by the exit-side roll is always kept constant, regardless ofwhether the work is being intermittently halted or the halt is released.Accordingly, it is possible to reliably achieve synchronization betweenthe carry speed of the work both at positions upstream and downstream ofthe processing apparatus while keeping the tension of the work constant.In other words, it is possible to pass the work having been processed onto the downstream processing position at the same carry speed as thecarry speed of the work received from the upstream processing position,while effectively reducing any change in tension of the work.

Incidentally, the above can also be stated as follows. Since theentering-side roll and the exit-side roll carry out opposite motionswith respect to one another in the intersecting direction, the decreasein the accumulation amount of the exit-side buffer mechanism and theincrease in the accumulation amount of the entering-side buffermechanism can be kept equal to one another while the work is beinghalted, and on the other hand, the increase in the accumulation amountof the exit-side buffer mechanism and the decrease in the accumulationamount of the entering-side buffer mechanism can be kept equal to oneanother when the halt of the work is released. As a result, the tensionof the work can be maintained constant both during the halt of the workand during the release of the halt.

In the above processing apparatus, it is preferable that: the processingapparatus further includes a seesaw member that oscillates about apredetermined axis, wherein both the entering-side roll and theexit-side roll are mounted on the seesaw member, and wherein the axis islocated at a midpoint between a position where the entering-side roll ismounted and a position where the exit-side roll is mounted.

With such a processing apparatus, the above-mentioned opposite-motionrelationship in the intersecting direction between the entering-sideroll and the exit-side roll can easily be created by the oscillatingmotion of the seesaw member, thus simplifying the configuration of theprocessing apparatus.

In the above processing apparatus, it is preferable that: theentering-side buffer mechanism includes a plurality of the entering-siderolls for forming the loop of the work by winding the work around theentering-side rolls in a zigzag form; and the exit-side buffer mechanismincludes a plurality of the exit-side rolls for forming the loop of thework having been processed by winding the processed work around theexit-side rolls in a zigzag form.

With such a processing apparatus, the oscillation stroke amount of theseesaw member can be reduced, compared to a case where the loops are notformed in a zigzag form, i.e., a case where one each of theentering-side roll and the exit-side roll is provided and each rollforms a single loop. Thus, it is possible to reduce the oscillatingmotion speed and thereby reduce the impact upon vertically reversing theoscillating motion.

In the above processing apparatus, it is preferable that a motion forincreasing the accumulation amount of the exit-side buffer mechanism anda motion for decreasing the accumulation amount of the entering-sidebuffer mechanism performed upon releasing the halt of the work areachieved by making a carry speed at which the work is carried betweenthe entering-side buffer mechanism and the exit-side buffer mechanismfaster than both a carry speed at which the work is carried on a sideupstream from the entering-side buffer mechanism and a carry speed atwhich the work having been processed is carried on a side downstreamfrom the exit-side buffer mechanism.

With such a processing apparatus, the above-described motions of theentering-side buffer mechanism and the exit-side buffer mechanism can beachieved reliably while the halt of the work is released.

First Embodiment

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a continuous production line 5 towhich a processing apparatus 10 according to the present firstembodiment is applied. FIG. 3 is aside view of the processing apparatus10. Below, the vertical direction is referred to also as the up/downdirection, and the horizontal direction orthogonal to the verticaldirection is referred to also as the front/rear direction. Incidentally,the “front” of the front/rear direction is the downstream side of thecarrying direction of the belt-like work 1, and the “rear” is theupstream side of the same. Further, the upstream side of the processingapparatus 10 is referred to also as the entering side, and thedownstream side of the same is referred to also as the exit side.

As shown in FIG. 2, the continuous production line 5 includes aplurality of processing positions P1, P2, . . . arranged front-to-rearalong the horizontal direction, which serves as a predetermineddirection. At each processing position P1, P2, . . . , appropriateprocessing is successively applied on a semi-finished belt-like work 1that is carried continuously, to thereby complete finished products.

As shown in FIG. 3, the processing apparatus 10 according to the firstembodiment is incorporated into one processing position Pn (in thisexample, a position for press-working the belt-like work 1) of theplurality of processing positions P1, P2, . . . . The belt-like work 1is drawn into the processing apparatus 10 from an immediately upstreamprocessing position Pn−1 at an entering-side carry speed Vin, and on theother hand, after being subjected to predetermined processing by theprocessing apparatus 10, the work is drawn out toward an immediatelydownstream processing position Pn+1 at an exit-side carry speed Vout.

According to the constant mass flow principle, the entering-side carryspeed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout of the processing apparatus10 should basically be equal to one another; however, in cases where thebelt-like work 1 is a stretchable material such as nonwoven fabric, theentering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout maydiffer from one another owing to the stretching deformation of thematerial, and for example, the entering-side carry speed Vin may rangefrom 95% to 105% of the exit-side carry speed Vout. The explanationbelow, however, is based on the premise that the entering-side carryspeed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout are controlled in such amanner that they are equal to one another and are at a reference speedV0.

Incidentally, the processing carried out by the processing apparatus 10is, for example, press-working. It is therefore necessary tointermittently halt the carrying of the belt-like work 1 during thispress-working. The processing apparatus 10, however, is devised so thatit can keep the entering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-side carryspeed Vout constant at approximately the above-mentioned reference speedV0, regardless of the intermittent halt. In other words, this processingapparatus 10 allows intermittent carrying to be performed only at theprocessing apparatus 10, while continuously carrying the belt-like work1 at the immediately upstream and downstream processing positions Pn−1,Pn+1 without stopping the carrying thereat whatsoever. The followingdescribes the processing apparatus 10 in detail.

The processing apparatus 10 includes: a press device 20, which serves asa processing section, for applying press-working on the belt-like work1; an intermittent carry device 30 for intermittently carrying thebelt-like work 1 along a horizontal pass line PL and making the workpass the position of the press device 20 with every pressing motion ofthe press device 20; a group of sensors 41, 42, 43 for detecting thestate of the press device 20 and the intermittent carry device 30; and acontroller (not shown) for controlling the press device 20 and theintermittent carry device 30 in cooperation with one another based onthe detection results of the group of sensors 41, 42, 43.

The press device 20 includes, for example, a male die 21 a that can bedriven to ascend/descend up and down in the vertical direction, and afemale die 21 b arranged below the male die 21 a in opposition thereto.The pass line PL is set between the male and female dies 21 a, 21 b withrespect to the up/down direction. A section targeted for processing(“processing target section”) of the belt-like work 1 is carried in thehorizontal direction along the pass line, and then, while the carryingis being intermittently halted, the male die 21 a descends toward thefemale die 21 b and sandwiches and presses the processing target sectionof the belt-like work 1, to thus apply press-working. When the male die21 a ascends and the pressing motion is finished, the carrying motion ofthe belt-like work 1 is resumed, and the press device 20 stays onstandby until the subsequent processing target section of the belt-likework 1 moves below the male die 21 a and halts. Note that in thisexample, a hydraulic cylinder (not shown) is employed as a drive sourceof the ascending/descending motion of the male die 21 a, but theinvention is not limited thereto.

The intermittent carry device 30 includes: groups of pass-line rolls 31,32 that form the horizontal pass line PL for the belt-like work 1 withrespect to the press device 20; an entering-side buffer mechanism 34 athat is provided on the upstream side of the press device 20 and thatcan accumulate the belt-like work 1 in a state strung like a loop thatis convex downward in the vertical direction; and an exit-side buffermechanism 34 b that is provided on the downstream side of the pressdevice 20 and that can accumulate the press-worked belt-like work 1 in astate strung like a loop that is convex downward in the verticaldirection.

The groups of pass-line rolls 31, 32 mainly consist, for example, of apair of pass-line rolls 31 a, 31 b arranged at the same height and onthe upstream side of the press device 20, and a pair of pass-line rolls32 a, 32 b arranged at the same height and on the downstream side of thepress device 20. The belt-like work 1 is passed over and supported bythe pass-line rolls 31 a, 31 b, 32 a, 32 b, and thereby the horizontalpass line PL for the belt-like work 1 is formed stretching across thepress device 20 front-to-rear in the horizontal direction.

Among these pass-line rolls 31 a, 31 b, 32 a, 32 b, only the roll 31 bimmediately upstream of the press device 20 (also referred to below as adrive roll) is a drive roll that can be driven to rotate by a drivesource such as a servomotor, and the other rolls are driven rolls thatare not driven. Accordingly, the carry state of the belt-like work 1 inthe press device 20 is controlled by controlling the rotational speed ofthe drive roll 31 b (which corresponds to a “sending section”). That is,when the drive roll 31 b rotates, the belt-like work 1 in the pressdevice 20 is carried, and on the other hand, when the drive roll 31 bhalts, the carrying of the belt-like work 1 in the press device 20 alsohalts. With the present processing apparatus 10, since theabove-mentioned press-working is performed under this carry-halt state,the press-working can be applied accurately at a target position on thebelt-like work 1.

Note that a pressing roll 31 c that followingly rotates about a rotationaxis parallel to that of the drive roll 31 b is pressed against theouter circumferential surface of the drive roll 31 b at a predeterminedpressing pressure. Being sandwiched between the drive roll 31 b and thepressing roll 31 c, the belt-like work 1 is carried without causing anyrelative slippage with the drive roll 31 b. Thus, the responsiveness ofthe carrying motion of the belt-like work 1 by the drive roll 31 b isimproved, and as a result, the halt position accuracy of the belt-likework 1 is improved.

The entering-side buffer mechanism 34 a and the exit-side buffermechanism 34 b employ, as their main body, a seesaw member 34 whoserespective ends in the front and rear in the horizontal direction canoscillate up and down about an oscillation central shaft 34 c. The endsof the seesaw member respectively have a pair of rolls 34 a, 34 b thatare equal in diameter and weight and that are for forming the loops ofthe belt-like work 1. In this state, the seesaw member 34 is in balancesuch that it can rotate back and forth about the oscillation centralshaft 34 c that is located in the middle of the rolls 34 a, 34 b. Therolls 34 a, 34 b are respectively located at a position between the pairof pass-line rolls 31 a, 31 b and at a position between the pair ofpass-line rolls 32 a, 32 b. Accordingly, the rolls 34 a, 34 brespectively have a portion 1 a of the belt-like work 1 passed overbetween the pair of pass-line rolls 31 a, 31 b and a portion 1 b of thebelt-like work 1 passed over between the pair of pass-line rolls 32 a,32 b wound around the respective rolls 34 a, 34 b from below.

Therefore, when the seesaw member 34 rotates to oscillate, the amount ofthe loop (the accumulation amount) of the belt-like work 1 formed by thedescending roll 34 b (34 a) increases, thereby accumulating thebelt-like work 1; on the other hand, the amount of the loop (theaccumulation amount) of the belt-like work 1 formed by the ascendingroll 34 a (34 b) decreases, thereby sending out the belt-like work 1.That is, the roll 34 a of the entering-side buffer mechanism and theroll 34 b of the exit-side buffer mechanism always move in anopposite-motion relationship with one another. As a result, the totalamount of the length of the loops formed by these rolls 34 a, 34 b isalways kept constant, and thus, it is possible to reliably achievesynchronization between the entering-side carry speed Vin and theexit-side carry speed Vout of the processing apparatus 10 while keepingthe tension of the belt-like work 1 constant.

The following describes this in detail. First, the initial state is astate where a loop is greatly accumulated on the roll 34 b of theexit-side buffer mechanism whereas there is almost no loop on the roll34 a of the entering-side buffer mechanism, as shown with the solidlines in FIG. 3. Even if, in this state, the rotation of the drive roll31 b is restricted by the servomotor and halted in order tointermittently halt the carrying of the belt-like work 1 in the pressdevice 20, it is still necessary to send out the belt-like work 1 to thedownstream processing position Pn+1 at the exit-side carry speed Vout,regardless of the halted state. In this case, the roll 34 b of theexit-side buffer mechanism (also referred to below as an “exit-sideroll”) is raised upward owing to the tension of the belt-like work 1,and thus, the belt-like work 1 is sent out from the loop of theexit-side buffer mechanism, as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C. In this way, itis possible to send out the belt-like work 1 at the carry speed Voutequal to the reference speed V0, regardless of the halt of the driveroll 31 b.

On the other hand, at this time, the roll 34 a of the entering-sidebuffer mechanism (also referred to below as an “entering-side roll”)which is at its upper-limit position descends and accumulates thebelt-like work 1, which is carried from the upstream processing positionPn−1, into a downwardly-convex loop shape while pulling the workdownward, as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C. Note here that the entering-sideroll 34 a is also provided on the seesaw member 34, alike the exit-sideroll 34 b. Therefore, the descending motion of the entering-side roll 34a takes place simultaneously and in parallel with the above-mentionedascending motion of the exit-side roll 34 b, as an opposite motionthereof, without any delay in motion. That is, the entering-side roll 34a descends at the same speed as the ascending speed of the exit-sideroll 34 b, and the descending amount thereof is the same as theascending amount of the roll 34 b. Thus, the amount of the belt-likework 1 accumulated by the roll 34 a of the entering-side buffermechanism becomes equal to the amount of the belt-like work 1 sent outfrom the roll 34 b of the exit-side buffer mechanism. As a result, it ispossible to make the entering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-sidecarry speed Vout almost equal; in other words, it is possible toreliably achieve synchronization between the entering-side carry speedVin and the exit-side carry speed Vout.

Note that, when this intermittently-halted state is cancelled, therestriction on the rotation of the drive roll 31 b is alsocancelled—that is, the rotation is resumed—and thus, the belt-like work1 in the press device 20 is carried until it reaches the subsequentintermittent-halt position. During this carrying, however, it isnecessary to return the seesaw member 34 from the state shown in FIG. 4Cto the initial state shown in FIG. 4A in preparation for the subsequentintermittent halt; this return to the initial state is achieved bysetting the carry speed V of the belt-like work 1 in the press device 20for the intermittent carrying.

More specifically, when the intermittent halt is released, the driveroll 31 b starts to rotate again as shown in FIG. 5A. Here, the rotationspeed V thereof at this time is set higher than the entering-side carryspeed Vin and the exit-side carry speed Vout. Accordingly, as shown inFIGS. 5A to 5C, the belt-like work 1 in the press device 20 is carriedat a speed V faster than the entering-side carry speed Vin and theexit-side carry speed Vout, and thus, the amount of belt-like work 1sent out from the entering-side roll 34 a becomes larger than the amountof belt-like work 1 supplied to the entering-side roll 34 a at theentering-side carry speed Vin, thereby making the amount of work at theentering-side roll run short. As a result, the amount of the loop at theentering-side roll 34 a decreases, and the entering-side roll 34 aascends from its lower-limit position to its upper-limit position. Onthe other hand, the belt-like work 1 is sent out from the exit-side roll34 b, which is at its upper-limit position, at the carry speed Vout.However, since the belt-like work 1 is supplied to the exit-side roll 34b at a speed V faster than the carry speed Vout, the belt-like work 1becomes oversupplied. As a result, the amount of the loop at theexit-side roll 34 b increases, and the exit-side roll 34 b descends fromits upper-limit position to its lower-limit position. In other words,the seesaw member 34 carries out a seesawing motion in which theentering-side roll 34 a ascends and the exit-side roll 34 b descends,and in this way, the seesaw member 34 returns to the above-describedinitial state.

As shown in FIG. 3, the group of sensors 41, 42, 43 includes apressing-motion monitoring sensor 41 for monitoring the pressing motionof the press device 20, a processing-target-section monitoring sensor 42for monitoring the position of the processing target section on thebelt-like work 1, and an oscillating-motion monitoring sensor 43 formonitoring the oscillating motion of the seesaw member 34.

The pressing-motion monitoring sensor 41 is, for example, a proximityswitch provided at the upper-limit position of the male die 21 a andoutputs a detection signal every time the male die 21 a reaches theupper-limit position. The processing-target-section monitoring sensor 42is a sensor that is arranged immediately upstream of the press device 20and that outputs a detection signal every time the sensor detects a markindicating a processing location (referred to below as a“processing-location mark”) formed on the belt-like work 1 at apredetermined pitch. An example thereof includes a photoelectric tubethat outputs a signal having an intensity corresponding to the amount oflight received. The oscillating-motion monitoring sensor 43 is, forexample, a proximity switch provided near the lower-limit position ofthe exit-side roll 34 b of the seesaw member 34, and the proximityswitch outputs a detection signal when the exit-side roll 34 b reachesthe lower-limit position. Note here that two positions—an upperlower-limit position, and a lower lower-limit position situated slightlybelow the upper lower-limit position—are set as the lower-limitposition, and proximity switches 43 a, 43 b are respectively arranged atthose positions.

The controller is a suitable sequencer and/or a computer, and controlsthe various drive sources relating to the processing apparatus 10 basedon the detection results output from the above-described group ofsensors 41, 42, 43. More specifically, the controller controls thehydraulic cylinder that drives the male die 21 a of the press device 20so that it ascends and descends, and controls the rotational speed ofthe servomotor, which serves as the drive source of the drive roll 31 b.

With the processing apparatus 10 configured as above, rotating the driveroll 31 b as described below allows the belt-like work 1 to beintermittently carried in the press device 20 and press-working to beapplied to the belt-like work 1 at an appropriate pitch whilemaintaining the carry speed Vin, Vout of the belt-like work 1 at therespective processing positions Pn−1, Pn+1 upstream and downstream ofthe press device 20 at the normal reference speed V0.

FIG. 6 is a chart showing the rotation speed V of the drive roll 31 b.The horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicatesspeed (meters/second). Note that, since the carrying of the belt-likework 1 in the press device 20 is controlled by the drive roll 31 b, thevertical axis of FIG. 6 also indicates the carry speed V of thebelt-like work 1 for carrying the work in the press device 20.

First, in the initial state, it is assumed that the entering-side roll34 a and the exit-side roll 34 b of the seesaw member 34 arerespectively located at the upper-limit position and the lower-limitposition as shown with the solid lines in FIG. 3, and the belt-like work1 in the press device 20 is being carried by the drive roll 31 b at thereference speed V0 equal to the entering-side carry speed Vin and theexit-side carry speed Vout.

When a detection signal indicating detection of a processing-locationmark on the belt-like work 1 is transmitted from theprocessing-target-section monitoring sensor 42 during the normal rangeA1 of FIG. 6 in which carrying is performed in the initial state, thecontroller halts the rotation of the drive roll 31 b according to apredetermined deceleration pattern as shown in the deceleration range A2of FIG. 6, to thus intermittently halt the carrying of the belt-likework 1 in the press device 20.

During this intermittent halt A3, the controller makes the press device20 perform its pressing motion (FIG. 4B).

Note that during this intermittent halt A3, the seesaw member 34performs its oscillating motion from the initial state (FIG. 4A) to theopposite state (FIG. 4C) as described above (that is, the entering-sideroll 34 a descends while the exit-side roll 34 b ascends). Thus, it ispossible to receive the belt-like work 1 sent in from the upstreamprocessing position Pn−1 at the reference speed V0 in its stretched-outstate and to send out the belt-like work 1 to the downstream processingposition Pn+1 at the reference speed V0. Therefore, the carrying stateat the respective upstream and downstream processing positions Pn−1,Pn+1 is not interrupted whatsoever by the intermittent halt.

When receiving a signal indicating completion of the pressing motionfrom the pressing-motion monitoring sensor 41 after a while, thecontroller resumes the rotation of the drive roll 31 b. At this time,however, as shown in the acceleration range A4 of FIG. 6, the controllerincreases the rotation speed according to a predetermined accelerationpattern up to a speed faster than the reference speed V0 in order tomake the speed eventually faster than the entering-side carry speed Vinand the exit-side carry speed Vout, to thus return the seesaw member 34in the state shown in FIG. 5A back to the initial state shown in FIG. 5Cand prepare for the intermittent halt of the subsequent pressing motion.

Note that the fact that the seesaw member has returned to its initialstate (FIG. 5C) is detected by the oscillating-motion monitoring sensor43. This is described in detail. Immediately before returning to theinitial state, the exit-side roll 34 b first passes the position of thesensor 43 a at the upper lower-limit position, and therefore, the sensor43 a at the upper lower-limit position sends a detection signal. Then,the controller starts to decelerate the drive roll 31 b, as shown in thedeceleration range A5 of FIG. 6. Then, when the exit-side roll 34 breaches the lower lower-limit position and the sensor 43 b at the lowerlower-limit position sends a detection signal, the controller sets therotation speed of the drive roll 31 b to the reference speed V0, whichcompletes a single processing cycle.

After this, the above-described processing cycle is repeated every timethe processing-target-section monitoring sensor 42 detects aprocessing-location mark on the belt-like work 1.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 7 is a side view of a processing apparatus 10 a according to asecond embodiment. In the above-described first embodiment, the driveroll 31 b controlled the carrying state of the belt-like work 1 in thepress device 20. In the present second embodiment, the carrying state iscontrolled by a brake-equipped non-drive roll 31 d provided in place ofthe drive roll 31 b and an oscillation drive device 36 for driving theseesaw member 34 to oscillate. Note that the features other than theabove are almost the same as those in the first embodiment, and thusexplanation thereon is omitted.

The brake-equipped non-drive roll 31 d includes a non-drive roll 31 dinstalled at the same position as the drive roll 31 b in place thereof,and a brake mechanism (not shown) of, for example, the drum-type or thedisk-type for braking the rotation of the non-drive roll 31 d.Accordingly, when the brake mechanism is not in operation, the non-driveroll 31 d rotates along with the carrying of the belt-like work 1 whichis in contact with the roll, whereas when the brake mechanism is inoperation, not only is the roll itself halted, but the belt-like work 1in contact therewith is also halted.

The oscillation drive device 36 is, for example, an air cylinder, andthe tip end of its piston 36 a is connected to the seesaw member 34.Thus, by supplying compressed air (pressurized air) from a predeterminedcompressed-air source to a cylinder chamber in the air cylinder via adiverter valve such as a solenoid valve, it is possible to oscillate theseesaw member 34 up and down via the ascending/descending motion of thepiston 36 a.

The non-drive roll 31 d and the oscillation drive device 36 arecontrolled by the above-described controller, and thus, the belt-likework 1 is intermittently carried in the press device 20 as follows.

As in the above example, explanation is made based on the assumptionthat the processing apparatus 10 a is in the initial state shown in FIG.3. More specifically, the entering-side roll 34 a and the exit-side roll34 b of the seesaw member 34 are respectively located at the upper-limitposition and the lower-limit position as shown by the solid lines inFIG. 7, and the belt-like work 1 in the press device 20 is pulled by thedownstream processing position Pn+1 and thus carried at the referencespeed V0 equal to the entering-side carry speed Vin and the exit-sidecarry speed Vout.

When a detection signal indicating detection of a processing-locationmark is transmitted from the processing-target-section monitoring sensor42 while performing the carrying in the initial state, the controlleractivates the brake mechanism to restrict and stop the rotation of thenon-drive roll 31 d, to thus intermittently halt the carrying of thebelt-like work 1 in the press device 20.

Then, during this intermittent halt, the controller makes the pressdevice 20 perform its pressing motion.

Note that during this intermittent halt, the cylinder chamber of the aircylinder 36 is cut off from the compressed-air source by the divertervalve and opened to the atmosphere, and thus, the seesaw member 34 isbrought to a state where it can freely oscillate owing to even theslightest load. Thus, the exit-side roll 34 b of the seesaw member 34 israised by the tension of the belt-like work 1 and ascends, whereas theentering-side roll 34 a performs the opposite motion and descends. Inother words, the seesaw member 34 performs its oscillating motion fromthe initial state shown with the solid lines in FIG. 7 to the oppositestate shown with the chain double-dashed lines. Thus, the seesaw member34 can receive the belt-like work 1 sent in from the upstream processingposition Pn−1 at the entering-side carry speed Vin in its stretched-outstate and send out the belt-like work 1 to the downstream processingposition Pn+1 at the exit-side carry speed Vout. Therefore, the carryingstate at the respective upstream and downstream processing positionsPn−1, Pn+1 is not interrupted whatsoever by the intermittent halt.

Then, when receiving a signal indicating completion of the pressingmotion from the pressing-motion monitoring sensor 41, the controllerreleases the brake on the non-drive roll 31 d (i.e., cancels therestriction on the rotation). Then, the non-drive roll 31 d comes torotate along with the belt-like work 1 carried by being pulled by thedownstream processing position Pn+1. During this carrying, however, itis necessary to return the seesaw member 34 to the initial state shownwith the solid lines (i.e., to the state in which the entering-side roll34 a is at the upper-limit position and the exit-side roll 34 b is atthe lower-limit position) in preparation for the subsequent intermittenthalt. To do so, the controller switches the diverter valve and suppliesthe compressed air from the compressed-air source to the cylinderchamber of the air cylinder 36, thereby extending the piston 36 a of theair cylinder 36 and oscillating the seesaw member 34, i.e., raising theentering-side roll 34 a and lowering the exit-side roll 34 b.

Note that the fact that the seesaw member has returned to its initialstate is detected by the oscillating-motion monitoring sensor 43. Thisis described in detail. Immediately before returning to the initialstate, the exit-side roll 34 b passes the position of the sensor 43 a atthe upper lower-limit position. Therefore, when the sensor 43 a at theupper lower-limit position sends a detection signal, the controllerfirst starts to decelerate the extending motion of the piston 36 a ofthe air cylinder 36. Then, when the exit-side roll 34 b reaches thelower lower-limit position and the sensor 43 b at the lower lower-limitposition sends a detection signal, the controller halts the extendingmotion of the air cylinder 36, which completes a single processingcycle.

Incidentally, the above-described second embodiment uses abrake-equipped non-drive roll 31 d for intermittently halting thebelt-like work 1 and releasing the same. It is instead possible to use asimple non-drive roll (driven roll) having no brake mechanism. In thiscase, however, a separate mechanism for restricting and halting thebelt-like work 1 becomes necessary. An example thereof may include a nipmechanism that is arranged immediately downstream of the non-drive rolland that includes a pair of upper and lower nipping members provided sothat they can nip the belt-like work 1 from above and below. Whenhalting the carrying of the belt-like work 1, the pair of upper andlower nipping members moves toward one another and nips the belt-likework 1, to thereby restrict the downstream movement of the belt-likework 1. On the other hand, when resuming the carrying of the belt-likework 1, the nipping members move away from one another to thus cancelthe nipped state of the belt-like work 1, thereby canceling therestriction on the movement of the belt-like work 1.

Other Embodiments

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above,the invention is not limited to those embodiments, and modificationssuch as those described below are possible.

The foregoing embodiments describe, as methods for returning the seesawmember 34 to the initial state, an example in which the drive roll 31 bis rotated rapidly, and an example in which the seesaw member 34 ismoved by the air cylinder 36. The invention, however, is not limitedthereto whatsoever, and it is possible, for example, to use a cammechanism such as a plate cam to return the seesaw member 34 to theinitial state.

The foregoing embodiments illustrate a configuration in which theentering-side roll 34 a serving as the entering-side buffer mechanismand the exit-side roll 34 b serving as the exit-side buffer mechanismare connected into a single unit by the seesaw member 34. The invention,however, is not limited thereto whatsoever, as long as the two memberscarry out opposite motions interlocked with one another. That is, thetwo members do not have to be connected together by the seesaw member34.

For example, the entering-side roll 34 a and the exit-side roll 34 b maybe configured so that they are reciprocatably guided in the up/downdirection respectively, for example, by suitable guide rails and thatthe entering-side roll 34 a and the exit-side roll 34 b canascend/descend up and down by a drive source such as an air cylinder.However, it is needless to say that, when the entering-side roll 34 aand the exit-side roll 34 b move in the up/down direction, theentering-side roll 34 a and the exit-side roll 34 b are controlled tomove interlocked with one another—i.e., are controlled to move inopposite directions from one another at the same speed.

The foregoing embodiments do not particularly describe the materialsetc. for the belt-like work 1. However, any belt-like element havingmoderate flexibility is applicable, and examples thereof may includenonwoven fabrics, woven fabrics, sheets, and film-like elements.Materials therefor may include resins, such as synthetic resins, andpulp.

The foregoing embodiments give press-working as an example of processingapplied to the belt-like work 1. The invention, however, is not limitedthereto whatsoever, and for example, the processing may includeembossing for applying projecting-and-depressed patterns throughpressing with dies, and sealing for melt-joining the belt-like work 1.

In the foregoing embodiments, one entering-side roll 34 a and oneexit-side roll 34 b are provided on the seesaw member 34 to thus form asingle downwardly-convex loop on each roll. It is, however, possible toincrease the number of loops to two or more. For example, as shown inFIG. 8, two zigzag loops of belt-like work 1 may be formed by providingtwo each of the entering-side rolls 34 a and the exit-side rolls 34 b onthe seesaw member 34 and providing respective fixed rolls 35 (rolls thatare fixed at a predetermined position so that they do not move) betweenthe entering-side rolls 34 a, 34 a and between the exit-side rolls 34 b,34 b. Note that increasing the number of loops to two or more allows thestroke amount of the oscillating motion of the seesaw member 34 to bereduced compared to a case where the number of loops is one, and thus,it is possible to reduce the oscillating motion speed and thereby reducethe impact upon vertically reversing the oscillating motion.

1. A processing apparatus for intermittently halting and processing, ata processing position, a belt-like work that is continuously carriedalong a predetermined direction, the processing apparatus comprising: aprocessing section that is provided at the processing position and thatperforms the processing on the work while the work is being halted; anentering-side buffer mechanism that is provided upstream in thepredetermined direction from the processing section and that canaccumulate the work carried from upstream; an exit-side buffer mechanismthat is provided downstream in the predetermined direction from theprocessing section and that can accumulate the work having beenprocessed and to be carried downstream; and a sending section that isprovided between the entering-side buffer mechanism and the processingsection and that sends out the work accumulated by the entering-sidebuffer mechanism to the processing section; the sending section, byrestricting the work, halting the work at the processing position, andperforming simultaneously decrease of an accumulation amount of workaccumulated by the exit-side buffer mechanism and increase of anaccumulation amount of work accumulated by the entering-side buffermechanism in such a manner as the decrease in the accumulation amount ofthe exit-side buffer mechanism and the increase in the accumulationamount of the entering-side buffer mechanism equal to one another; thesending section, by canceling the restriction on the work, releasing thehalt of the work, and performing simultaneously increase of theaccumulation amount of the exit-side buffer mechanism and decrease ofthe accumulation amount of the entering-side buffer mechanism in such amanner as the increase in the accumulation amount of the exit-sidebuffer mechanism and the decrease in the accumulation amount of theentering-side buffer mechanism equal to one another.
 2. A processingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the sending section is a roll;and the roll is a drive roll that carries the work to the processingsection by being driven to rotate while winding the work from theentering-side buffer mechanism around an outer circumferential surfaceof the roll.
 3. A processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:the sending section includes a roll that is in contact with the work anda pressing roll that is pressed against an outer circumferential surfaceof the above-mentioned roll; and the work is carried sandwiched betweenthe roll and the pressing roll.
 4. A processing apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein: the entering-side buffer mechanism accumulates thework carried from upstream by forming a loop consisting of the work inan intersecting direction that intersects with the predetermineddirection; and the exit-side buffer mechanism accumulates the workhaving been processed and to be carried downstream by forming, in theintersecting direction, a loop consisting of the work having beenprocessed.
 5. A processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: theintersecting direction is a direction orthogonal to the predetermineddirection.
 6. A processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: theentering-side buffer mechanism includes an entering-side roll that isreciprocatably guided in the intersecting direction, and the loop isformed by winding the work around the entering-side roll; the exit-sidebuffer mechanism includes an exit-side roll that is reciprocatablyguided in the intersecting direction, and the loop is formed by windingthe work having been processed around the exit-side roll; and theentering-side roll and the exit-side roll move in the intersectingdirection interlocked with one another, and move in opposite directionsfrom one another at the same speed when moving in the intersectingdirection.
 7. A processing apparatus according to claim 6, furthercomprising: a seesaw member that oscillates about a predetermined axis,wherein both the entering-side roll and the exit-side roll are mountedon the seesaw member, and wherein the axis is located at a midpointbetween a position where the entering-side roll is mounted and aposition where the exit-side roll is mounted.
 8. A processing apparatusaccording to claim 7, wherein: the entering-side buffer mechanismincludes a plurality of the entering-side rolls for forming the loop ofthe work by winding the work around the entering-side rolls in a zigzagform; and the exit-side buffer mechanism includes a plurality of theexit-side rolls for forming the loop of the work having been processedby winding the processed work around the exit-side rolls in a zigzagform.
 9. A processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: a motionfor increasing the accumulation amount of the exit-side buffer mechanismand a motion for decreasing the accumulation amount of the entering-sidebuffer mechanism performed upon releasing the halt of the work areachieved by making a carry speed at which the work is carried betweenthe entering-side buffer mechanism and the exit-side buffer mechanismfaster than both a carry speed at which the work is carried on a sideupstream from the entering-side buffer mechanism and a carry speed atwhich the work having been processed is carried on a side downstreamfrom the exit-side buffer mechanism.